The present invention relates to gas liquid tower structures, including cooling towers, scrubbers, heat exchangers, condensers, chemical process towers and the like.
One aspect of the present invention relates to gas liquid contact apparatus wherein a large surface area of the liquid is presented for direct contact with the gas for mixing therewith, thereby cooling either the liquid or the gas, changing the moisture content of the gas, removing impurities from the gas, etc.
In gas liquid contact apparatus of the prior art, the liquid is distributed by spray nozzles or channels into a chamber which may be open or have fill therein for retarding the flow of the liquid and enhancing the contact between the gas and the liquid.
Another aspect of the present invention relates to structures for gas liquid interaction wherein the liquid is maintained separate from the gas, as in heat exchangers and condensers. In these structures, a heat exchange medium having high thermal conductivity is interposed between the liquid and the gas. Typically, the liquid is fed through a metal conduit that is exposed to the gas, the conduit being commonly equipped with fins or the like for presenting a large surface area of heat exchange medium to the gas.
It is also often required or desirable for there to be at least two liquid transport systems in the apparatus, a first liquid contacting the gas and a second liquid, which may include a portion of gaseous phase, separated from the gas, heat being transferred between the gas and the second liquid for heating or cooling the second liquid.
Many tower structures of the prior art are undesirably large, heavy, expensive to build, transport and operate in relation to the output capacity thereof, for at least some of the following reasons:
1. They have a large complex fill structure that includes many complicated parts that require a great quantity of material and are difficult to assemble.
2. They produce an uneven distribution of gas flow caused by "channeling" wherein gas flow stagnates in regions of high droplet concentration and/or unequal pressure distribution in parallel gas paths.
3. They have uneven distribution of liquid flow caused by clogging, poor dimensional control of liquid passages, and/or series pressure drops between parallel-connected orifices.
4. They produce poor mixing resulting from large liquid droplet sizes and/or low levels of turbulence of the gas and/or the liquid.
5. They have high blower or fan power requirements caused by restrictions to gas flow.
6. They utilize structural components that are unsuitable for variant tower configurations, resulting in high-setup and/or inventory costs.
Thus there is a need for a tower structure that provides a compact, light weight tower apparatus for gas liquid interaction that is inexpensive to build, transport, and upright, and is easy to use.